Austropotamobius pallipes

Last updated

White-clawed crayfish
Austropotamobius pallipes.jpg
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Malacostraca
Order: Decapoda
Suborder: Pleocyemata
Family: Astacidae
Genus: Austropotamobius
Species:
A. pallipes
Binomial name
Austropotamobius pallipes
(Lereboullet, 1858)
Synonyms [2]
  • Astacus pallipesLereboullet, 1858
  • Astacus pallipes var. flavusLereboullet, 1858
  • Astacus fontinalisCarbonnier, 1869

Austropotamobius pallipes is an endangered [1] European freshwater crayfish, and the only crayfish native to the British Isles. [3] Its common names include white-clawed crayfish and Atlantic stream crayfish.

Contents

Distribution

It is found from the easterly Balkan Peninsula to Spain and reaches its northerly limit in Great Britain, as well as Ireland (where it is considered introduced), where it is limited to some regions only: its highest densities are in chalk streams. A. pallipes is the only crayfish found in Ireland, occurring over limestone areas in rivers, streams, canals, and lakes. In France, A. pallipes is found in streams such as the Mornante and Sellon, two small tributaries of the Dorlay in the Loire department. It is protected as a heritage species. [4] It has also been introduced to Corsica, Liechtenstein, and Portugal (from where it is now extirpated).

It was once found across most of Great Britain; however its distribution is rapidly shrinking, and it is recorded in Yorkshire, central and northern England, east Kent, eastern Wales, the Candover Brook that flows into the Itchen in Hampshire; [5] parts of Essex, [6] and several long headwaters of the River Thames, where it competes with the introduced noble crayfish, itself also facing competition from the introduced signal crayfish. Dowdeswell Reservoir, Gloucestershire, has the species and during works of 1998, Severn Trent ensured its protection. [7] Disease from invasive species has wiped it from the naturally alkaline River Frome, Bristol, 200708. [8]

Ecology

It is absent from more acidic waters [9] and occurs in streams with a moderate flow alongside other freshwater invertebrates such as caddis fly, mayfly, and mollusc species. Trout and three-spined stickleback also occur in the same habitat. Tree roots and rocks in the banks provide shelter. Juveniles shelter in vegetation such as watercress and grass mats growing out of the bank.

Description

A. pallipes is olive-brown, with pale undersides to the claws (whence its specific Latin epithet pallipes, "pale feet"). It may grow to 12 cm (4.7 in) long and adult sizes below 10 cm (3.9 in) are more common. It typically lives in rivers and streams about 1 m (3 ft) deep, where it hides among rocks and submerged logs, emerging to forage for food, and in lakes.

Conservation

Two main reasons for decline are:

Further reading

Sweeney, N. and Sweeney, P. 2017. Expansion of the White-clawed Crayfish (Austropotamobius pallipes (Lereboullet)) population in Munster Blackwater. Irish Naturalists' Journal. 35(2) pp. 94–98.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Crayfish</span> Freshwater crustaceans

Crayfish are freshwater crustaceans belonging to the infraorder Astacidea, which also contains lobsters. Taxonomically, they are members of the superfamilies Astacoidea and Parastacoidea. They breathe through feather-like gills. Some species are found in brooks and streams, where fresh water is running, while others thrive in swamps, ditches, and paddy fields. Most crayfish cannot tolerate polluted water, although some species, such as Procambarus clarkii, are hardier. Crayfish feed on animals and plants, either living or decomposing, and detritus.

<i>Astacus astacus</i> Species of crayfish in Europe

Astacus astacus, the European crayfish, noble crayfish, or broad-fingered crayfish, is the most common species of crayfish in Europe, and a traditional food source. Like other true crayfish, A. astacus is restricted to fresh water, living only in unpolluted streams, rivers, and lakes. It is found from France throughout Central Europe, to the Balkan Peninsula, and north as far as Scandinavia and Finland, and Eastern Europe. Males may grow up to 16 cm long, and females up to 12 cm.

<i>Pontastacus leptodactylus</i> Species of crayfish

Pontastacus leptodactylus, the Danube crayfish, Galician crayfish, Turkish crayfish or narrow-clawed crayfish, is a relatively large and economically important species of crayfish native to fresh and brackish waters in eastern Europe and western Asia, mainly in the Pontic–Caspian region, among others including the basins of the Black Sea, and the Danube, Dnieper, Don and Volga rivers, as well as aquatic systems in Turkey. It has spread widely beyond its native range, beginning in the 1700s when it spread via canals constructed in western Russia and since the 1900s through introducions to many regions for human consumption. Today it is widespread throughout much of Europe.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Astacidae</span> Family of crayfishes

Astacidae is a family of freshwater crayfish native to Europe, western Asia and western North America. The family is made up of four extant (living) genera: The genera Astacus, Pontastacus, and Austropotamobius are all found throughout Europe and parts of western Asia, while Pacifastacus is native to western United States and British Columbia, but has also been introduced elsewhere.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Candover Brook</span> River in Hampshire, England

The Candover Brook is a 9.6 km (6.0 mi) chalk stream in the English county of Hampshire. It is a tributary of the River Itchen, which it joins near the town of New Alresford. The stream rises from springs just to the south of the village of Preston Candover.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Greenlee Lough</span>

Greenlee Lough is a lough or lake and national nature reserve 3 miles (5 km) north of Bardon Mill, and 1.5 miles (2.4 km) north of the B6318 road in Northumberland, northern England.

<i>Austropotamobius torrentium</i> Species of crayfish

Austropotamobius torrentium, also called the stone crayfish, is a European species of freshwater crayfish in the family Astacidae. It is mostly found in tributaries of the Danube, having originated in the northern part of the Balkan Peninsula.

<i>Austropotamobius</i> Genus of crayfishes

Austropotamobius is a genus of European crayfish in the family Astacidae. It contains four extant species,

<i>Faxonius limosus</i> Species of crayfish

Faxonius limosus, synonym Orconectes limosus, is a species of crayfish in the family Cambaridae. It is native to the east coast of North America, from Quebec to the lower James River, Virginia, but has also been introduced to Europe. It is known commonly as the spinycheek crayfish or Kamberkrebs in German.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dowdeswell Reservoir</span>

Dowdeswell Reservoir and former water treatment works lie below the parish of Dowdeswell in Gloucestershire. They were originally built by Cheltenham Corporation to supply the town of Cheltenham with drinking water and subsequently became part of the Severn Trent network.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Broomlee Lough</span>

Broomlee Lough is an inland lake in Northumberland, England at the southern edge of Northumberland National Park. The lough lies immediately north of the course of Hadrian's Wall. Old legends portray the lake as a repository of hidden treasure.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">River Mease</span> River in the Midlands of England

The River Mease is a lowland clay river in the Midlands area of England. It flows through the counties of Leicestershire, Derbyshire and Staffordshire and forms the administrative border between these counties for parts of its length.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Halleypike Lough</span>

Halleypike Lough is an inland lake on Haughton Common at the southern edge of Northumberland National Park, northeast of Bardon Mill, and 1 mile (1.6 km) north of the B6318 Military Road in Northumberland, northern England. The lake is of Victorian origin and is fished.

<i>Potamon fluviatile</i> Species of crab

Potamon fluviatile is a freshwater crab found in or near wooded streams, rivers and lakes in Southern Europe. It is an omnivore with broad ecological tolerances, and adults typically reach 50 mm (2 in) in size during their 10–12 year lifespan. They inhabit burrows and are aggressive, apparently outcompeting native crayfish.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Stephanie Peay</span> British ecologist and crayfish researcher

Stephanie Peay is a British ecologist and crayfish researcher.

<i>Faxonius immunis</i> Species of crayfish

Faxonius immunis is a species of crayfish in the family Cambaridae. It is native to North America and it is an introduced species in Europe, where it lives along the Upper Rhine. Its common names include calico crayfish and papershell crayfish.

Carrickaport lough is a freshwater lake in Kiltubrid parish, south County Leitrim, Ireland. Drumcong village, and Lough Scur, lie nearby. Carrickaport lough is known for quality bream and pike fishing. The ecology of Carrickaport lough, and other county waterways, is threatened by curly waterweed, zebra mussel, and freshwater clam invasive species.

Keshcarrigan Lough is a mesotrophic freshwater lake near Keshcarrigan in County Leitrim, Ireland. Known for quality coarse fishing, the lake allows bank fishing from concrete stands on the northern shore, two with wheelchair access. The ecology of Keshcarrigan Lough, and other county waterways, is threatened by curly waterweed, zebra mussel, and freshwater clam invasive species.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">River Mease SSSI</span>

River Mease SSSI is a 23.0 hectares biological Site of Special Scientific Interest. It is a stretch of the River Mease and its tributary Gilwiskaw Brook, running between Alrewas in Staffordshire and Packington in Leicestershire. It is also a Special Area of Conservation The river goes through private land, but it is crossed by roads and footpaths.

<i>Austropotamobius bihariensis</i> Species of crayfish

Austropotamobius bihariensis is a species of crayfish in the family Astacidae. It is known to exist only in Romania being restricted to the rivers in the western Apuseni Mountains. Its proposed English common name is idle crayfish. It is supposed to have diverged/split ~15 Ma old from a common relative of A. torrentium from the Dinarides and evolved isolated due to the historically tectonic north-eastern movement of Tisza-Dacia mega-unit through the Pannonian Basin, during the Miocene. The molecular divergence in 582 base length nucleotides of COI mtDNA sequences is supported by 43 mutational steps, a differentiation of 7.4% from the sister clade of A. torrentium located in north-western Dinarides

References

  1. 1 2 L. Füreder; Gherardi, F.; Holdich, D.; Reynolds, J.; Sibley, P.; Souty-Grosset, C. (2010). "Austropotamobius pallipes". The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species . 2010: e.T2430A9438817. doi: 10.2305/IUCN.UK.2010-3.RLTS.T2430A9438817.en .
  2. Crandall, Keith A; De Grave, Sammy (2017). "An updated classification of the freshwater crayfishes (Decapoda: Astacidea) of the world, with a complete species list". Journal of Crustacean Biology. 37 (5): 615–653. doi: 10.1093/jcbiol/rux070 .
  3. "Freshwater white-clawed crayfish (Austropotamobius pallipes)". ARKive.org. Archived from the original on 24 January 2015. Retrieved 28 January 2015.
  4. CESAME (March 2010). "Prélèvements et gestion quantitative de la ressource sur le bassin versant du Gier Phase 1" (PDF). Saint-Etienne Metropole. p. 6. Archived from the original (PDF) on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 20 August 2012.
  5. Peay, Stephanie (2003). Monitoring the white-clawed crayfish Austropotamobius pallipes. English Nature. ISBN   978-1-85716-727-6.
  6. "Endangered crayfish colony found". BBC News. 19 September 2006. Retrieved 18 December 2019.
  7. Conservation of the native crayfish population at Dowdeswell Reservoir during engineering works’, March 1998, for Severn Trent Water.
  8. Gray, Louise (21 July 2009). "Crayfish breeding programme to save native species from American invader". The Daily Telegraph . Retrieved 18 December 2019.
  9. Catherine Souty-Grosset; David M. Holdich; Pierre Y. Noel; Julian D. Reynolds; Patrick Haffner (2006). Atlas of Crayfish in Europe. Collection Patrimoines Naturelles 64. Paris: Muséum national d'histoire naturelle. p. 188. ISBN   978-2-85653-579-0.
  10. Manenti, R.; Ghia, D.; Fea, G.; Ficetola, G.F.; Padoa-Schioppa, E.; Canedoli, C. (2019). "Causes and consequences of crayfish extinction: Stream connectivity, habitat changes, alien species and ecosystem services". Freshwater Biology . 64 (2): 284–293. Bibcode:2019FrBio..64..284M. doi:10.1111/fwb.13215. hdl: 2434/617418 . S2CID   91259855.